Illuminated number sign



Dec. 24, 1940. K, L, RUNDBERG 2,225,961

ILLUMINATED NUMBER, SIGN Filed sept. 25, 1939 2 sheets-sheet 1 DSC. 24,1940. K, L RUNDBERG 2225,96

ILLUMINATED NUMBER S IGN Filed sept. 25, 1939 `2 sheets-sheet 2 PatentedDec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ILLUlVIINATED NUMBER SIGNcorporation Application September 25, 1939, Serial No. 296,359

3 Claims.

This invention relates to illuminated number signs; and has specialreference to signs adapted for use to designate house or door numbers,although the use of the invention is not restricted to '5 that purposealone.

An object of the invention is to provide an 'improved illuminated signunit adapted to be embedded in a building wall and having improved meansfor engaging the materials of the building wall to hold the unitpositively and securely embedded therein and to cooperate with theinside of the unit to reflect the light against the front wall of theu-nit to illuminate the number displayed thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved illuminatedsign unit comprising walls forming a housing and adapted to be embeddedWithin the wall of a building and to cooperate therewith to form acomplete building wall, in

combination with a translucent front wall for the unit and means forattaching directly thereto opaque elements constituting digits orletters, or the like, in approximately uniformly spaced relation toprovide a house sign which is clearly legible in daylight withoutartificial illumination, and

which may be illuminated so as to be clearly legible in the dark.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electricallyilluminated sign of the character mentioned having improved means forsupporting electric lamps within a housing, and rellecting devices forreflecting the light of the lamps to a translucent front wall having ahouse number displayed thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved supportingwall for the digits of house numbers comprising a section of ilexibletranslucent material adapted to form the exposed wall of Aa concealedilluminating unit and having two rows of approximately uniformly spacedholes therethrough adapted to receive fasteners passing through thedigits of house numbers seated against said wall and composed of opaquematerial so that, when the device is illuminated, the

Wall will appear as translucent and the house number will be clearlylegible.

Various Vother objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the following d'escription., reference being made to the`annexed drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front View showing my improvedilluminated house sign mounted within and forming a part of a buildingwall.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view von the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig, 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view approximately on the line4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 5 4,.showing anappropriate connection of the electrical devices.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, showing themounting for the electric lamp supports.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one ofthe socket members for supporting a pairof electric lamps.

Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the socket member that is shown in Fig. 7.

Fig, 9 is an enlarged detail sectional View on the line 9 9 of Fig. l,of a portion of the flexible translucent front Wall of the unit showingone of the house number digits attached thereto.

Fig. 10 isa perspective view of a house number digit showing the twospaced portions 'thereof a adapted to receive attaching fasteners, as'shown in Fig. 9.

As shown, the device comprises a housing composed of a strip of sheetmetal forming a back wall I and two end walls 2 diverging forwardly fromthe back Wall. The strip is of approximately uniform width. The endmargins 3 of the Walls 2 are extended in approximate alinement with eachother. A pair of side walls 4 are engaged against the edges of the stripthat forms the walls I and `Z, and have angularly extended flanges 5 and6 engaging the margins of the walls I and 2 and rigidly securedtheretoby solder or other attaching means. The walls 4 are formed withcorrugations 'I which receive and rmly engage portions 8 of the mortaror other building wall forming material. Thus, the housing lprovided bythe Walls I, 2 and 4 is designed and adapted to be embedded in and toform 'a part of a building wall, and may be mounted in the Wall duringinitial construction thereof, or subsequently placed in the wall.Preferably, this housing has approximately the same dimensions as thedimensions of a standard structural brick, with the exception that thewalls 2 converge rearwardly, so that the vdevice may be mounted in awall in place of a brick and the corrugations 'I engaged with orembedded in the mortar. To ll the corners beyond .and adjacent to theinclined Walls 2, brick fragments 9 may be used. The outer margins I0 ofthe corrugated walls 4 are extended laterally in the same plane with theflanges 3. The flanges 3 and the margins 4 substantially cover themortar embedding or surrounding the housing composed of the Wallelements described.

A section II of insulating material, preferably characterized withreflecting qualities, is attached to the inner surface of the wall I byfasteners I2. A metallic socket member I3 is attached to the part II bya fastener I4 and has flexible arms I5 formed in connection therewithand provided with curved rebent ends I5 constituting sockets for thesleeves II of the electric lamps I8. The socket members I5 are resilientand are formed with projections I9 to engage with or into the lampsleeves II and securely hold them in position in the sockets. Anelectric circuit wire 20 has one end attached to a binding post 2| inelectrical communication with the socket member I3 and with the socketsI6.

A metallic bracket 22 is attached to the insulating member by a fastener23, and the other electric circuit wire 24 is attached to a binder 25 inelectrical contact with said bracket 22. Resilient arms 26 formedintegral with the bracket 22 extend laterally to position to be engagedby the contact ends 2'I of the electric lamps I 8 so that, when thecircuit provided by the wires 20 and 24 is closed, the electric lamps I8will be lighted. The resiliency of the sockets IB and of the contactarms 25 permits lamps of different sizes to be used interchangeably. Thewires 2U and 24 are enclosed in a conduit 28 embedded in the buildingwall and extending into a socket 29 provided as a part of the unit. Thesocket 29 extends through a hole in the wall I and is clampingly engagedtherewith by a flange 30, and a nut 3I screwed on the end of the socket29 and cooperating with the flange 30 to hold the socket 29 inengagement with the wall I. A clamping bracket 32 extends through holesin the socket 29 and engages the conduit 28. A screw 33 passing throughthe bracket 32 and screwing into the socket 29 affords means forclamping the bracket 32 against the conduit 28.

This unit as described and the conduit 28 may be mounted in the buildingwall during the construction thereof and at a desired location withoutdifficulty. 'Ihe device may also be mounted in a wall that has beenconstructed by removing one of the bricks and mounting the housing inplace thereof in connection with the conduit 28 and the electric wiring.

The outer wall of the housing comprises a section 34 of flexible andsubstantially infrangible translucent material adapted to seat againstthe outer surfaces of the iianges 3 and IIl and having its edgesapproximately even with the edges of said flanges (Figs. 2 and 3). Eachpanel 34 is formed with two parallel horizontal rows of holes 35 (Fig.9), complementary holes in the upper and lower rows constituting pairsof holes in direct vertical alinement. These pairs of holes are spacedequidistant from each other so that the digits forming different housenumbers may be applied and attached to the respective panelsinterchangeably and in proper spaced relationship, irrespective of theorder in which the digits occur in the different house numbers.

Each of the digits 36 is formed with a pair of holes 3l (Fig. 10) spacedvertically from each other a distance approximately equal to thevertical distance between the holes 35 so that fasteners 38 may bepassed through the holes 3l and 35 and clampingly engaged against theinner surface of the panel 34. As shown, each fastener 38 is in the formof a staple having a head engaging against the outer surface of a digit36 while the arms of the staple extend through the holes 31 and 35 andare bent into clamping engagement with the panel 34. Therefore, it isdiicult or impracticable to remove the staples 38 without rststraightening the bent arms thereof so as to permit withdrawal of thestaples from engagement with the panel 34.

My invention comprises an angular frame 39 adapted to enclose and abutagainst the edges of the iianges 3 and I0 and also toy enclose and abutagainst the margins of the panel 34 (Figs. 2 and 3). Fasteners 40 passthrough holes in the frame 39 in the margins of the panel 34 and in theflanges 3 and clamp these parts together in a manner to preventdisplacementl thereof. The frame 39 constitutes a retaining device andalso an ornamental border for the translucent panel 34. The translucentsection 34 is flexible and substantially infrangible so that it will notbe easily broken but can bend in order to conform to irregularitiesalong the margins 3 and I0 caused by the material of the building wallor otherwise, and in order to avoid the necessity of careful handling toavoid breakage as well as to permit the fasteners 40 securing the partstogether as a unit to be tightened and released without damage.

It should now be apparent that the invention attains all of its intendedobjectives in a highly eicient manner, may be made inexpensively and ofornamental appearance, and may be easily attached within a wall duringinitial construction thereof, or may be subsequently mounted in a wallwithout defacing or marring the appearance of the surrounding wallstructure. The construction and arrangement of the parts may be variedwithin equivalent limits without departure from the nature and principleof the invention.

I claim:

l. A device of the character described comprising continuous paralleltop and bottom walls, a rear wall, outwardly diverging end walls forminga casing for an electric lamp and adapted to be embedded in a buildingwall; a socket device in connection with said rear wall for supportingan electric lamp within the casing for connection with an electriccircuit, laterally extended anges in connection with the outer marginsof said top, bottom and end walls having holes therethrough, a flexibletranslucent outer Wall for the casing seated against and having itsouter edges even with the outer edges of said flanges and having holestherethrough registering with said holes in said flanges, an angularframe abutting against the outer edges of said flanges and said wall andalso covering the margins of said wall and having holes registering withsaid holes in said wall and said flanges, and fasteners passing throughsaid holes in said frame and said wall and flanges and attaching saidframe and said outer wall to said flanges.

2. In a device of the character described comprising continuous paralleltop and bottom walls, a rear wall, and outwardly diverging end wallsforming a casing for an electric lamp and adapted to be embedded in abuilding Wall; projections in connection with said top and bottom wallsfor engaging with the materials of the building wall to prevent outwarddisplacement of the casing, a socket device in connection with said rearwall for supporting an electric lamp within the casing in connectionwith an electric circuit, laterally extended fianges in connection withthe outer margins of said top, bottom and end walls, a translucent outerwall for the casing seated against said anges and having opaque digitsin connection therewith, a frame enclosing and abutting against theouter edges of said flanges and being thereby held from lateraldisplacement and also abutting against the edges of said outer Wall, andfasteners passing through said anges, said outer wall and said frame andattaching said frame and said outer Wall to said anges.

3. In a device of the character described comprising continuous paralleltop and bottom Walls, a rear Wall, and outwardly diverging end Wallsforming a casing for an electric lamp and adapted to be embedded in abuilding wall, means integral with said top and bottom Walls forengaging and holding said casing rigidly in said building Wall, a socketdevice in connection with the rear wall for supporting an e1ectric lampWithin the casing for connection with an electric circuit, laterallyextended flanges integral with the outer margins of said top, bottom andend Walls, a exible translucent outer Wall for the casing seated againstand having its outer edges even with the outer edges of said anges,opaque digits in connection with the outer surface of said outer Wall, aframe having portions enclosing and abutting against the outer edges ofsaid flanges and said outer Wall and also covering the margins of saidouter wall, and fasteners extending through said frame and the marginsof said outer wall and through said anges and attaching said frame andsaid outer wall thereto.

KARL L. RUNDBERG.

